


The Prince's Ray of Sunshine

by RuskaSky



Series: Taste the Sweet of my Skin [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Masturbation, Noctis POV, Nompto, One-Sided Love, Promptis - Freeform, Romance, Smut, bottled up feelings, or not?!, solo action
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-08 05:48:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11075310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuskaSky/pseuds/RuskaSky
Summary: How could a nugget challenge go so wrong? One moment Prompto passed out on his sofa due to a junk food overdose, the next Noctis laid in his bed with his body burning and his head spinning around one thing and one thing only: The beautiful blond in the room next door.[Series is a collection of unrelated smut-shots. Aka: You don't need to read the other ones to enjoy this.]





	The Prince's Ray of Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Teneniel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teneniel/gifts).



> Alternative Title: - Val's Big Indulgence -  
> (here's to hoping it actually lives up to that)

"I bet you I can eat double the nugs you can, bud."

"Hn. Challenge accepted. Let's see how you fare against a _prince_."

In hindsight, that had been not so smart of a bet, for neither of them. Noctis had never eaten that many nuggets before, and unless he was curious as to what half-digested junk food looked like (not that he had not seen that before, courtesy of night outs and bad decisions) he was better off _not_ exceeding this record. Fifty-one chicken nuggets weighed heavy in his stomach, and his mind spun at the faint memories of biology class and the rather certain judgment that the average digestive organ did not even possess appropriate capacities to accommodate for such a number, even if one chewed thoroughly. Which he did not.

To Noctis' utter surprise – and also shame, but mostly surprise, really – Prompto had won his crazy bet. But at what price? For right now, Prompto looked about as happy about his victory as a man who bet he would dare jump from the highest tower of the King's palace. Mortified. Slightly sick. But as Prompto's eyes caught his, the blond immediately erected a sluggish grin, which would look that much more impressive if he were _not_ holding on to his stomach in a stance reserved for very pregnant ladies.

"I beat'cha," Prompto slurred, like he feared the nuggets might chose the upper exit if he articulated himself all too eloquently. "Never underestimate the ple- urgh." He slapped one hand in front of his mouth and groaned.

Noctis pat his back; softly, to minimize vomit-inducing vibrations. "Yeah, yeah. Amazing. It will be a story to remember. Your children will definitely look up to you for that glorious victory. If you survive long enough to father any," he could not help but add when Prompto stopped to lean against a wall. The prince shook his head and suppressed a chuckle. "Come on, now. My flat is no two minutes away. You can pull through."

Prompto narrowed his eyes at him and muttered something beneath his breath which inspired images of rather pointy objects being shoved rather violently up Noctis' rectum. The raven-haired man gave in to his laugh and lifted Prompto's arm to rest on his shoulders in order to half carry, half drag him to his apartment. The warmth of Prompto's skin seeped through Noctis' shirt and made him sweat.

Opening the door with such a hindrance proved quite a challenge. All of a sudden, Prompto had become very much dependent on Noctis' support and whined when the other man released him to fumble for his damned keys which were not in that pocket nor in that one and- ah, there they were. He slammed them into the lock unceremoniously before he wrapped Prompto's arm around his shoulders once again and by then outright _pulled_ him to his sofa, upon which Prompto landed with a worrisome _thud_. A sack of beans. Or, in this case, nuggets. A groaning sack of nuggets, curled up like a fetus.

Noctis shook his head. "Seriously, dude. A hundred and three nuggets? What are you, a garbage can?"

Prompto peeked past the arm he had draped over his eyes to shield himself from the rays of Noctis' lamp. "Well, it's called garbage _can_ for a reason, not garbage _cannot_." He giggled upon his joke, then choked and gagged, waving for Noctis to do _something_ about the apocalypse raging inside his body.

A glass of water did the trick. Noctis watched with a smirk how Prompto took the tiniest sips, how he turned a bit green in the face before he forced another one down and how he leaned back with a grand sigh like he just saved the world or something.

Noctis snorted. _'Yeah, right. Like that'll ever happen.'_ Not that he doubted the photographer's abilities; Prompto's handiwork with the gun and machinery inspired fearful admiration even from _Gladio_. But their current lives – aged nineteen boys who merely turned into men ever so slowly – would never propel them into such a situation. At least Prompto's would not.

"Hey, bud?" Prompto's voice, heavy from the pressure on his guts, caused Noctis to raise his eyes and meet the hazy grin beneath freckled cheeks. "We never discussed what the winner gets."

"All things considered, _you_ look more like the loser to me," Noctis argued, the smirk half hidden behind the palm he rested his head upon. "At least I'm not about to retch."

Prompto grimaced. "You're just envious."

"Of your misery? Hardly."

"No~ct!" Prompto pouted in accusation and struggled to get up, but another surge of regretful nuggets fought their way through his throat and the blond collapsed back onto the sofa. He made some sounds Noctis could not distinguish, although he had heard them before, in dark alleys and dimly lit corners of shabby clubs. Prompto took some deep, shaky breaths before he focused his eyes on Noctis again. "Anyhow, you owe me one."

"One what?"

Prompto furrowed his brows. Opened his mouth. And closed it again. "I'll think about that."

Noctis snorted. "Fantastic. Just so you know, if you throw up on my carpet, I'll count that as 'one'."

"Come _on_ ," Prompto protested, "it's not like you're the one cleaning it up afterwards anyway."

"So you would? Passed out and all?"

"Of course I wouldn't. Iggy will," Prompto stated matter-of-factly. He shot a grin after those words, wide and bright and all too happy despite his obvious stomach cramps, and Noctis could not help but smile back. "But man," the blond went on and looked at the ceiling, probably to save his neck from any dangerous positions and angles, "today was sure fun, eh? Totally beat you at the arcade, too. Winning streak!" His voice tumbled two octaves higher before it crashed into a hearty belch and he laughed.

Noctis raised an eyebrow. "You were just lucky today. I didn't even _know_ the game which _you_ picked. No wonder you won. Don't get all high and mighty."

"Excuses~," Prompto chimed and Noctis smacked his head with a palm. "Such a violent prince! I fear for the country." He only laughed it off when Noctis smacked him once more, and then once again for good measure, fought back with weak fingers nudging against Noctis' hands, his shoulders, his stomach, anything he could reach without moving too much, but even that little bit of exercise drove an alarming olive tint to his cheeks, and Prompto sunk back into the sofa with a sigh. "Attacking the war hero like this. Don't you have any shame?"

"Idiot," the prince judged and drew forth his phone. "So, some King's Knight while you lay here like a potato?"

"Didn't eat a single fry, though." Prompto snickered and somehow managed to get his own mobile device out from under his ass, firmly planted into Noctis' royally broad and black sofa. "And you're on! If you can handle another defeat."

But Noctis did not lose that night. He did not win, either, for no two minutes later, after he returned from the toilet to relieve himself of the coke (which, in retrospect, might have handicapped him in their stupid bet), Prompto snored soundly, his mouth agape and features relaxed. His phone dangled at a dangerous angle from his slack hand.

Noctis sighed and shook his head, not even noticing the smile on his lips. "Really, such a handful." He bent down and carefully disentangled Prompto's fingers from the electronics. A sudden, tiny bolt of lightning struck him at the contact and Noctis cursed the phone. _'Fuck you, I'm trying to save you here.'_ He placed the damned item on the glass table and turned to inspect Prompto, sprawled out as much as he could in the crammed space – for the royal broadness only applied to the _length_ of the sofa, not its depth.

One leg hung over the edge, the other pressed against the backrest, propped up in an angle. Again, his arm shielded his eyes against the lamplight, which prompted Noctis to get up and switch some switches until only the soft, dim rays of his bedroom shone towards Prompto's sleeping figure. Almost immediately, the blond shifted, rolled onto his side and smiled lazily in his sleep. Noctis crept closer, simply wanting to make sure that this little handful of a friend was at least _relatively_ comfortable.

' _If I were to follow proper etiquette, I would offer him my bed,'_ Noctis realized with a rather Ignis-like voice inside his head. _'But passing out on your friend's couch isn't exactly decent, either. Besides,'_ he added with softening eyes, _'he looks so… peaceful.'_

The forehead relaxed, Prompto's eyebrows curved but slightly, and his eyelids barely moved. His lips, partially open, released gentle breaths, and with his hand as a pillow, he appeared so huddled into the cushions that the prospect of waking him felt like a _crime_. Noctis did not even realize how he squatted down next to the sofa and leaned over Prompto's face until he could count every single freckle, and Prompto had quite a lot of them. Pretty, little dots on his creamy, slightly tanned complexion, contrasting even more against the constant flush on his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. At forty something, Noctis stopped – but only because Prompto shivered in his sleep.

The prince frowned. A glance to the side revealed gooseflesh covering the photographer's bare arms, and almost instinctively Noctis' hands stretched out to rub the signs of cold away. But just before his fingers reached their goal, he stopped.

' _What am I doing?'_

His cheeks warmed and he had to blink a couple of times before he caught himself. Noctis got up and retrieved a blanket – more specifically, _his_ blanket – because _that_ is what you do when your best friend passes out on your sofa from too much junk food. Just throwing the blanket onto Prompto would not do, might even wake him, so Noctis carefully draped the cloth around the blond's body, so slender and delicate. But as his fingers brushed across Prompto's arms in the effort of wrapping him tightly and thus warmly, he felt the resistance of strong muscles.

Noctis smiled. _'He works out. A lot.'_ He still recalled middle school and the overweight, clumsy blond who peered at him at the end of each day without enough courage to actually talk to him. A part of Noctis still wondered what Prompto's physique had to do with _anything_ , but until the blond had completely transformed his body into this lean, strong build, he had refused to properly approach Noctis, and the prince had never felt the urge to pressure him. He was only glad that in high school, Prompto _finally_ spoke up and they could become friends.

His eyes darkened. _'We could have become friends much sooner.'_ Days upon weeks upon years of friendship and precious memories, all lost because – but no, he should not think like that. It was unfair towards Prompto, and having the blond in his flat now, curled up like a happy little burrito and with the most dorky smile in the world on his lips was all that Noctis really wanted. He drew close a stool from the adjacent kitchen counter and sat down to observe his sleeping friend.

' _Creepy.'_ Noctis scrunched his nose at himself. Totally creepy, sitting there in the dim light, watching his friend snore. For what purpose, even? And yet he could not look away, even when a yawn fought its way through and had him squint his eyes. Tired. Definitely tired, mostly due to the food, but the long day at the arcade added to that, too, and Noctis knew it would be best to go sleep some, then wake up before Prompto could and tease him about actually falling asleep on his couch. The blond would be embarrassed for days. Noctis snickered to himself. _'He always get so flustered and red when he's embarrassed. Seriously, he makes it too easy.'_ He rested his head on his crossed forearms and allowed for his eyes to follow after the contour of Prompto's body beneath the black blanket. The blond babbled something in his sleep, then inhaled fairly sharply before producing some more gibberish, and Noctis' smile intensified. _'Such a dork.'_

Prompto shifted, a soft sound spilling from his lips – and Noctis almost leaped from his seat when the blond rolled precariously close to the edge. Slow-motion kicked in and allowed him to witness every turning hair, every slipping inch of skin as gravity took its toll. Noctis caught him _just_ before things could get ugly, his hands stemmed into Prompto's torso, but despite the impact the blond kept on snoring.

Noctis' hairs stood on edge. He was so close to Prompto that he could smell sunshine and warmth beneath chicken nuggets and sweet and sour sauce. What a delightful aroma – and he was not thinking about the food, the smell of which stung in his guts. Noctis blinked. _'Sunshine and warmth.'_ His cheeks flushed.

Prompto's body sagged against him and the prince growled at the back of his throat, shoving the sleeper back onto the sofa, which took more effort than he would have anticipated. But over a hundred nuggets heavier, Prompto _was_ a challenge. And even when Noctis pushed him into the backrest, the blond still lay close to the edge. Too close.

The prince scratched the back of his head. _'He's gonna fall. Bump his head on the glass and- oh,'_ he interrupted himself and remembered. He tore his gaze from Prompto – because he was worried the blond might fall, not for any other reason – and inspected the far, divan end of the sofa.

It had to be _somewhere_ , Ignis had even shown it to him, and the handles _were_ there, he just needed to – yes, he got it. Noctis huffed, bit his lip as he pulled some more, now on the long side of the seating accommodation, the act severely impeded by Prompto's added weight. Vibrations and jerks caused Prompto's body to twitch and jump, but the blond snored happily and did not even seem to notice when Noctis propelled him a foot or so into the air in order to draw forth the extra cushions and thin mattress beneath his lazy ass, effectively doubling the size of the sofa. Managing this seemingly impossible feat was almost worth it falling on his ass and panting from the exercise. Almost.

What _was_ worth all the exhaustion, however, was the sight of Prompto turning in his sleep and not even closing in on the perilous edge. Noctis' body washed over in relief and a smile tugged at his lips. Just to make sure, however, he carried the glass table to the other end of the room, and some other furniture items in case Prompto decided to sleep walk. He could imagine that well. With the sofa area thus mostly cleared, Noctis nodded to himself – and frowned upon the rather worrisome sight of Prompto squeezing his hand to death beneath his head. Heck, the tips of his fingers were _blue_. Noctis fetched his pillow from his bedroom and – halted.

"Now would be the perfect time for you to move, Prompto," he accused the sleeping blond. He was not heard, naturally; in fact, Prompto just drooled a bit and buried his face even more deeply in the sofa cushions. The prince sighed and rested the pillow above Prompto's head before he leaned over and gently pushed his fingers beneath the other man's scalp. The blond, chocobo-butt-y hair was a lot softer to the touch than it looked, than he had anticipated, and Noctis froze, fingers entangled within Prompto's locks.

Noctis stared. He knew he did, faintly, but he could not stop himself. His fingertips buzzed, sensing every filament of gold resting against them as they soaked in the heat radiating off Prompto's skin. He could feel Prompto's heartbeat thump through his appendages and shoot currents of electricity across his nervous system. Prompto's breath fanned against his cheeks, softly and regularly from his rosy lips and Noctis could not look away from them, they drew his gaze time and time again, demanded his full attention, and his breath hitched.

' _Prompto is so… beautiful.'_

The thought barely crossed his mind that Noctis jerked. He swiftly raised Prompto's head and pulled the pillow beneath it, then disentangled his fingers from the blond's hair and retreated into his bedroom without a look back.

His cheeks burned. A lot of other body parts of his burned, too, but his cheeks were the most prominent part and he slapped them twice. In vain. _'What the...'_ He shook his head, ordered his mind to empty as he stripped for the night. _'Prompto is fully clothed… but I'll do hell and undress him.'_ He shuddered. _'That'd go too far, even for best friends.'_ An irresistible pull caused him to peek over his shoulder and through the slit of his ajar door, beyond which he could make out Prompto's figure on his couch. His lips twitched in a subconscious smile.

' _Really, such a dork.'_

With nothing but his boxer shorts, Noctis hopped into bed, only then realizing that he had neither blanket nor pillow. He growled, at his own stupidity, and cumbersomely got up again, stomped to the armoire and pulled out the spare set. Not that _he_ had ever seen the need to buy such. But Ignis, in his perfect Ignis-manner, had insisted on the dire necessity of always having another set on hand, be it for visitors or to bridge the time between washing, and lest he wanted his advisor to complain every other visit or so, Noctis had had no choice but to acquire another blanket and pillow.

Which, to his delight, now came in handy. He pulled on a pair of sheets and pillowcase and threw the cushions onto his bed before he dived in right afterwards. Freshly out of the closet, the cloth made his teeth clatter and his skin prickle, but Noctis just buried himself to the hairline and waited for body heat to do its thing.

Body heat. Was Prompto okay, being completely clothed like that? He even wore _shoes._ Noctis had to chuckle at the thought of Ignis seeing that, he himself not minding the dirt much. Washing machines existed for a reason. A gust of air rattled against his window and reminded Noctis of a similar aperture open in his living room. With an undignified curse, the prince crawled out of the bed once again and made his way back into the living room, a cold chill caressing his body as soon as he entered. He targeted the damnable construct and closed it, turned up the heating and his body back to his bedroom.

But somewhere along the short way, he got lost and ended up by Prompto's side. _'I'm such an idiot.'_ The blond seemed soundly asleep, his hair a bit flattened from all his movements (Noctis briefly entertained the thought of camping with this energetic, agitated sleeper and figured that rest would be a rarity for all other parties involved) and a thin film of sweat glistened on his forehead.

' _He's hot,'_ Noctis realized. A faint part of his conscience slapped its thigh at the ambiguity and the irritating warmth returned to his cheeks. Noctis brushed the feeling and thought off and began to peel Prompto from the blanket. His torso was sparingly clad as per usual, only a crimson top and a vest, which _had_ to be uncomfortable with all the buttons and zippers. One even left an indentation on Prompto's underarm, in the form of a skull.

Noctis frowned, if only to suppress any other facial expression. _'The things you do for friends.'_ After unzipping the vest with a sound loud enough to wake a sleeping dragon but not Prompto, he took the other man's arms and wiggled them through the corresponding holes and let the clothing item fall to the ground, trying not to notice the burning of his fingertips or cheeks. So far, so easy. Prompto's shoes were not that much of a problem, either, once Noctis untied the knots and loosened the straps a bit, and the socks were off before he even had to contemplate much.

But pants. Pants were a problem, in more than one respect. Noctis found himself staring at the slightly baggy, gray trousers fastened to Prompto's hips via a white belt, tightly enough to squeeze fabric and skin to the point of the former figuratively oozing out. He pulled once, but had to admit that if he wanted to get those trousers off, he had no choice but to open Prompto's belt.

' _Open Prompto's belt. That sounds about as wrong as it is.'_ Noctis scratched the nape of his neck, all too painfully aware of his own state of undress. If Prompto woke up while the noiret bent over and stripped him, it would give all the wrong signals and some more. But he had come so far, stopping halfway would make him seem like a wuss, so Noctis gulped down the inexplicable lump in his throat and moved his fingers to Prompto's belt. His appendages shook, impeding his action that much more, and his blue eyes kept darting back to Prompto's face, which showed no sign of awakening anytime soon, while he fumbled with the stupid mechanism of the cold metal.

 _Clack_. The buckle opened, and immediately the pants slacked around Prompto's hips. Noctis blushed – he could not cover that with any nice terms anymore, much in the same way that Prompto's pants could not cover the _bulge_ atop his crotch, leaving little to Noctis' imagination. The prince gulped, but his throat was dry.

' _Dude. He's a friend.'_ A very hot friend (when had he started thinking of Prompto like that?). Asleep. With a tent in his pants. Noctis growled. _'And the male biology presents itself in all its glory once again. Get a grip.'_ Before his head could melt off, Noctis flung his doubts aside and hooked his thumbs under the waistband of the gray trousers. Pulling them off a sleeping and thus heavy body would normally prove difficult, but thanks to Prompto's near worrying slenderness, his pants slid down almost effortlessly.

And still, Noctis' hands somehow managed to graze across Prompto's crotch. Technically, it was impossible, but he distinctly felt one strong, lively heartbeat thump against his sweaty palms just before they traveled lower and dragged the gray fabric along with them. Somewhere in his head, bombs exploded and he barely noticed how he stood and let the trousers fall from his fingers to the ground, the _thud_ lost on his roaring ears.

There. Only boxers and top. That would suffice, right? No one could blame Noctis for keeping the top on; undressing that without waking Prompto was impossible, and the thing scrunched up anyway, whatnot with Prompto's constant moving. Several inches of his creamy skin were already revealed, with the faintest stretch marks slashed across his belly.

Noctis slanted his head. _'Ah, those.'_ Prompto would mention them from time to time, how they aggravated him. After his astounding transformation, no one would even be able to guess he had been overweight a few years back – if it were not for those marks. Shimmering pink, most of them the length of Noctis' little finger, which he found out by gingerly measuring.

' _I… need to get away from him.' The thought slashed across his mind and Noctis jerked backwards – and his fingertips accidentally brushed against Prompto's stomach._

Prompto inhaled sharply. Noctis froze, an inner voice screaming at him to get the fuck away and into bed, but he could not even move his head to peer up and check whether Prompto had awoken from this… this…

 _'This_ _what_ _? What am I doing?'_ The hint of an explanation crossed his mind, but Noctis repelled it forcefully. Anything but that. Matters were already complicated enough, this _situation_ was complicated enough.

A sound-asleep mumble relaxed his muscles to the point where he could inch back from the scorching hot skin – or were his fingers so cold? - and bring a few feet distance between himself and this blond guilt trip.

 _'Guilt?' Do I feel… guilty?'_ His eyes scanned Prompto, for an answer, for a cue, but all he found was golden hair and gorgeous features and glistening skin, and a surge of heat coursed through his body. He bit his lip.

Yes. Guilt.

Suddenly, the feeling crashed down on him and Noctis barely managed to run back to his room before he broke into uneven pants and madly reddening cheeks. His eyes darted across the room, unable to take hold of anything of enough interest to disrupt the flow in his mind, because the _real_ object of interest was behind the door he pressed his naked back against, laid innocently on his sofa with a smile to die for and Noctis heart skipped several beats as he realized.

"Oh. _Oh."_

Silence. It spread throughout the space and laid heavy on Noctis' ears. The prince stared and yet saw nothing, his hand grabbing fistfuls of his wild hair. Even his heartbeat sounded muffled, his pants so distant like they were not his own.

' _That… explains. A lot.'_

A list of this 'lot' included but was not limited to: Why any place exploded into colors as soon as Prompto entered it, why he could not recall himself refusing any silly requested selfie when those damned blue eyes blinked at him, why he hugged Prompto always a bit longer than anyone else for greetings and goodbyes, why he insisted on moving the photographer's hands rather than explaining how to work a fishing rod, why he got grumpy whenever Prompto called in sick for school, why he got up at crazy o'clock hours to drive Prompto to a morning scenery or a convention or a sale or whatever the blond begged for. It explained all of that and a lot more – and not lastly why Noctis had just _undressed_ him and _touched_ him and felt like hot iron twisted inside his guts.

He gulped. "I..." His voice echoed within the quietude, his throat tightened so terribly and his brain throbbed as his tongue twitched in the need to release the words, "I like Prompto."

 _Thud_. He fell onto his bed and buried his face in the pillowcase. His head was light and heavy at the same time, and a smile spread his lips stupidly, a chuckle springing from them.

' _I like him.'_ He snorted and chuckled once more. _'A lot. Differently. Completely different from Gladio or Ignis or anyone else I know.'_ He knew that the appropriate term would no longer be 'like', but his stomach suddenly decided to take a hundred-eighty on him and Noctis rolled over onto his back and exhaled deeply, like Prompto had before, and he understood how you could sigh like you just saved the world even when you did not.

Noctis stretched his hand before him, reaching for the ceiling. A thousand thoughts and more demanded his attention, toppled over in his head, but all Noctis could do was lower those fingertips to his mouth, the fingertips which had brushed over Prompto's skin, and kiss them. He liked to imagine he tasted some sweat which was not his. A shudder ran down his spine and the prince closed his eyes, Prompto's image immediately popping up before his mind.

Prompto. _Prompto_. That blond, dorky sunshine. And he had completely fallen for him. A shaky laugh broke from Noctis' mouth as adrenaline pumped the blood through his body at the speed of the Regalia on the highway. His cheeks burned, his body _twitched_ and his skin spanned across his muscles and veins like it was ready to burst.

' _I'm… going mad,'_ Noctis realized, _'I don't know how to deal with this. Me, liking Prompto? Like that has any future. Like he'd ever feel that way for me.'_ His adrenaline faced an abrupt stop when a knife stabbed his heart. He stifled a nervous chuckle, but it was chocked and hurt and he fell into silence once again.

"Why?" he questioned the empty room, maybe even Prompto a few meters away, but neither gave an answer. Noctis blinked; his eyes suddenly stung. "Why?" he asked once more. "Why Prompto?"

It was not that _Prompto_ was the issue. Quite on the contrary; Prompto was bright, sunshine and life and happiness. He gave so much love, it was only natural it would be reflected at him. Noctis had always waited for the girls, the mass which _had_ to come sooner or later, for all those people who would realize his greatness, drawn like moths to the light. He had known the day would come when people fell head over heels for the dorky photographer. He just never would have thought it would be he himself.

The focus of his empty eyes shifted. _'I'm ruining everything. If I like him, we cannot be friends anymore.'_ He bit his lip. _'I don't want that… I don't want to lose him.'_ Noctis searched for the 'off-button', a way to disable those feelings which had come so abruptly – but no, they had not come abruptly. They had been there since months, maybe years, hidden in all those little, everyday moments. He just never realized it.

He exhaled deeply. _'And I wish I never had. How am I supposed to face him tomorrow? And the day after that? Will I be able to hide it from him?'_ Granted, he had been able to hide it from himself for quite some time now; but hiding something without really knowing is one thing, and hiding something while being torn apart from it a completely different one.

Noctis pressed his fingers against his lips, trying to keep any undignified sounds from spilling. _'It's not supposed to be like this. I always thought that, if you like someone, you are happy and the world lights up. Everything becomes colorful, meaningful, wonderful.'_ His eyes hooded, the dark room before him shrinking and closing him in. _'But I guess that only applies when the feelings are reciprocated. And Prompto never will… never…'_ He bit his tongue, his cheeks, his lips, but a single sob broke forth nonetheless, the sound of a shattering heart echoing in the loneliness engulfing him, and his eyes flickered over to the door behind which Prompto lay. A distance he could cross in a matter of seconds and which would take him forever at the same time.

He shook his head. With the back of his hand he brushed away the tears which had snuck into the corners of his blue eyes. _'Stop that. This is ridiculous. I can deal with this. People deal with it all the time. Just because I don't have any experience doesn't mean I can't.'_ Noctis nodded towards himself, trying to encourage this heavy lump that was his heart to lighten up. _'My friendship with Prompto is way more important than_ _this_ _. It'll go away soon. Definitely.'_

Lies. He knew they were, but at least they enabled him to turn on his side and curl together, eyes closing as he awaited blissful sleep. When wetness trickled down the bridge of his nose and cheeks, Noctis pretended he did not notice.

* * *

_Prompto pushed him onto the sheets, a smirk nestling in the corners of his pink lips. "Have a seat, my prince," he purred and crawled on top of him, limbs slender and bare._

_Noctis gulped. His eyes ran across Prompto's body, heavenly unclothed except for a pair of white boxer briefs, the creamy skin spanned over lean muscle, flexing with the movements, a vibrant ocean sparkling in his eyes. One of them winked and Noctis' heart skipped a beat. He leaned back against the headrest of his bed and propped up on his elbows just when Prompto straddled his hips. The blond hooked one thumb under Noctis' black boxers and pulled briefly before letting the fabric snap against the prince's hips. Noctis hissed._

_A chuckle bubbled from Prompto's mouth. "Nervous?" He repeated the motion, this time dragging the nail of his thumb along Noctis' prickling skin as he watched how the prince squirmed beneath him._

" _P-prompto," the noiret pressed forth. His voice sounded so different. Weak. And needy. He tried to wiggle free from beneath the blond, but the other man pushed his hips down, effectively pressing his crotch against Noctis'; the raven-haired man could not even suppress his groan._

_Suddenly, hands ravished his body, traveling along his abdominals to his pecs, up his neck, grabbed fistfuls of his hair and pulled his face close to Prompto's. "What's wrong?" the blond murmured hotly, the tease having left his voice, making place for something else, something entirely venereal and demanding. "Don't you want this?" His lips brushed against Noctis' as he spoke._

_Dots danced in front of Noctis' eyes. He swallowed his saliva and tried to speak, but his lips were too dry from the nervousness. His tongue protruded to lick over them, but Prompto was still there, so close, and he claimed Noctis' tongue before the prince even realized the danger he had gotten himself into, and then there was only Prompto, his burning lips, his blazing tongue, his scorching mouth within which Noctis' tongue was suddenly sucked. A stifled moan sprung from the prince's lips, but it was immediately swallowed by Prompto, who spilled a similar sound before licking over his tongue again._

_Noctis' hands flew up to Prompto's face, the back of his skull, and pulled him so close that his jaws hurt, his lips turned blue, and yet it was not close enough. He needed more of the heat, of the proximity, of Prompto. Curling his tongue around Prompto's, he sucked the muscle into his mouth, giving Prompto a taste of his own cruel medicine, and his insides turned at the moan tumbling from Prompto's lips. Why had he even been resisting the blond in the first place? It felt way too good to discard it. The pressure in his pants grew, his flesh struggling against its confines-_

_\- and Prompto ground his hips down on Noctis' painful erection, a similarly stiff and hard bulge in his boxer briefs rubbing along the head of Noctis' sex. The prince threw his head back, growling at the sensation which turned his mind blank. He disentangled his fingers from Prompto's blond hair and instead grabbed hold of his slim hips, to hold them in place or pull them down he did not know._

_But he did not even need to think; Prompto knew what he needed, repeated the movement once, twice, thrice, each grind sending new bolts of bliss through Noctis' body. Prompto's mouth left his, cruel cold slapping against his lips, but when Noctis pried his heavy eyes open to search for the motivation of his loss, the sight drove him insane._

_Prompto rode him. His face contorted in pleasure, lips partially open to release shameless moans. Sweat dripped from his brow and onto his exposed chest, heaving in ragged breaths. One of his hands was buried in his own hair, tearing as if the sensations were too much to handle, while the other dug deeply into Noctis' flesh, into every inch the blond could catch hold of. His hips undulated against Noctis', time and time again, smashing the two erections against one another so forcefully that each buck of his hips robbed Noctis of his sanity. Then, suddenly, the blond opened his eyes and looked past his freckled nose at Noctis, the pupils dilated. "Noct," he whispered, his voice dark from lust. Noctis could not tear his eyes off the sight. It hypnotized him._

_That was why a pained groan exploded from his throat when Prompto suddenly_ _stopped_ _his movements and crawled off his lap, pushing away Noctis' fingers which begged for him to stay. A tiny smirk lifted the corners of his lips. "Don't worry, I'm not leaving, my prince." Instead, he hooked his fingers under Noctis' boxers for a third time and slowly dragged the fabric from the prince's hips. Each new inch of exposed skin prickled in gooseflesh against the sudden cold, yet Noctis could not ask of Prompto to speed up, not with that look in his affectionate eyes as he unwrapped him like a present._

_But when his cock was freed, Noctis could not help but jerk his hips, and neither could he help but notice how Prompto's eyes widened for the fraction of a second before they traveled upwards again. Their eyes met; both blue, both hungry. A shiver ran down Noctis' spine._

_Prompto licked his lips. He gently pushed Noctis' legs apart and nestled himself between them, glancing up the entire time to make sure that Noctis watched him. Like he could look away. The prince's legs twitched; he instinctively wanted to close them, but with the blond between them he could not, so he just gulped down his embarrassment and grabbed the sheets beneath his naked body. "Prompto…"_

_The blond smirked. He brought his perfect pink lips close to Noctis' hot-red length and pressed a gentle kiss against the head. Already Noctis felt like dying, in the best way possible, but he forced his eyes to stay open, watch exactly how Prompto's lips parted and took him in, inch for inch. Noctis clenched his jaws. Prompto's mouth scorched him, unbelievably hot and wet, his tongue flicked lazily against the shaft. Noctis' nerves exploded and he gasped for air, his fingers now tearing at the sheets beneath him, and it took all he had not to jerk his hips into Prompto's mouth even though he wanted to so badly._

_His lips wrapped around Noctis' cock – and that alone being a sight so sinfully perfect that Noctis' heart thundered in his chest – Prompto chuckled. He released the throbbing member with a plop and murmured, lips still resting against the seething flesh, "Does it feel good, Noct?"_

_Noctis tried to talk, he really did, but his mouth failed him, tongue lolling out uselessly, so he threw his head from one side to the other, groaning desperately. 'Of course,' he wanted to say, 'so much,' but his cheeks burned and he bit his lips._

_Prompto just snickered. "Oh, really? Then I need to try harder." In one swift motion he took Noctis' dick into the hot cavern that was his mouth, the tip bending down into his throat, and sucked harshly, slurping around the base before he pulled up, twirled his tongue across the sensitive glans and plunged down again, his blond head bobbing up and down._

" _Prompt-oh!" Noctis moaned. His breath burned in his lungs and his hips began to rock, despite his efforts to hold still. "Prompto, wait, I – oh! Aaah… Nngh, Prompto, not so fa- ahh!" Yet Prompto only accelerated, figuring out Noctis' sensitive spots in a matter of seconds before devilishly exploiting them. He dragged his tongue along the engorged tip and pressed it into the slit oozing pre-cum in ridiculous amounts, his fingers played with Noctis' scrotum to the point where Noctis' eyes rolled in their sockets, and yet he did not stop, even when Noctis could no longer control his hips and grabbed for his head to push it down even more harshly._

" _More," he half-whispered, half-growled. His eyes peered past the strands of his unruly black hair to Prompto's face, the straining cheeks and moving jaws, and forced himself inside. He jerked his cock up into the delicious heat and moaned, deeply and guttural. Saliva as well as moans trickled from Prompto's, muffled but greedy, and Noctis felt his peak near, bit his lips and fucked even harder into Prompto's mouth to-_

* * *

Something slammed against his window and Noctis awoke with a start. His eyes searched the room frantically, but it laid dark and calm, save for his uneven breaths. He peered over to the responsible window and the sound occurred once more, branches of the nearby tree being thrust against the glass from the storm. A sigh of relief left his lips. Noctis ran his hand over his face and through his hair – then halted at the sweaty dampness.

Hazy wisps of his dream flickered in front of his mind's eye and his cheeks went up in flames. _'What did I just-?!'_ His stomach coiled into a tight ball, a lump blocked his throat and Noctis had to gulp several times, the images refusing to fade from his memory, no, they grew even more intense, and within his pants his dick sprung to life all to eagerly. Noctis shot it – and with that himself – a disgusted glance.

' _I just had a wet dream. Of Prompto. Fan-fucking-tastic.'_ His skin crawled at himself and he wished he could exit his stupid body and subconsciousness. But alas, he could not, so Noctis merely shook his head at himself, said body part spinning immediately. It was just too much; he had slept for what, three hours? Maybe four? Not nearly enough to process this revelation, this crushing feeling of defeat and helplessness – and now he laid in his bed with a boner the hardness of which was possibly record-breaking, and even tossing and turning from one side to the other did not diminish it and finally he came to rest on his back once again.

He pressed a thin stream of air through his teeth. _'Great.'_ He shot his cock another aggravated glare. _'Won't let me sleep until I release you, huh?'_ Male biology presented itself in all its glory for a second time that night. Noctis sighed and unceremoniously slipped his right hand under his boxer shorts. A few strokes should be enough to liberate his penis of the pressure, he judged and set to work in the monotonous rhythm of a man who did not really care much for his pleasure.

But the body was not so easily cheated, and despite his fingers rubbing along his most sensitive areas, right below the glans, his sex refused to give in, instead it just swelled with blood. Noctis ground his teeth. _'In that case...'_ He closed his eyes and conjured a mental image of Luna; she _was_ , after all, the closest candidate for marriage, if only in a political sense. And very pretty, as well. Golden locks, bright blue eyes and an eternal gentle smile.

Like a flash of lightning, his mental image of Luna cracked and Prompto appeared in her stead, with exactly the smile Noctis had pictured, for it was _his_ and only his, sunshine and light and warmth and-

' _No,'_ Noctis ordered himself and shook his head, trying to ignore the sudden twitch from his cock and the rush of endorphins pumping through his system. _'Out of there. Luna. Luna is pretty. Sexy. Yeah, definitely sexy.'_ He painted her picture as clearly as he could, and enough dirty magazines provided him with a repertoire of naughtily posing bikini figures to plant her head atop. Boobs oozing out from way too little fabric, ass glistening in the sunlight and water droplets trickling down between her creamy thighs, the hint of lower lips poking through her bottom.

Almost immediately, his penis slacked. Noctis snapped his eye open and growled, "Oi, are you shitting me?" He dragged his fist along his shaft, almost _too_ tightly, but while the pressure in his balls remained, his cock stayed only half-erect. He almost felt like laughing. Almost. A sigh rose from the depths of his lungs, but he did not cease his administrations just yet. Patience. Yes, patience would get him through this. Maybe Luna was too far of a stretch; all things considered, she felt more like a _sister_ to him, and incest was not among his list of kinks. But there were plenty of other attractive women he had met thus far, a fair share of them ogling him with batting eyelashes during classes. He picked their faces at random; an athletic blonde (no, blondes were no good, after all), a voluptuous brunette, a chubby red-head with amazing green eyes. All of them undeniably pretty, all of them undeniably bang-able; and all of them undeniably boring to his mind and body.

' _Come on,'_ he begged his dick, hot and throbbing between his sweaty appendages. _'Come on already. Work with me here.'_ He licked over his lips and, instead of conjuring alluring faces and shapes to arouse his, well, _arousal_ , he concentrated on the pure feeling.

The sensation of his buzzing fingertips gliding along his length, the delectable pleasure when he squeezed the base of his cock, the mind-numbing explosion of bliss as his fingertips flicked against the glans. Better. Much better. Noctis released a single moan and a little bolt of pleasure erupted between his legs, struck through his limbs right into his toes. His cock hardened again, _finally_ , its veins protruded while engorging the organ with more blood and thus making him even more susceptible to the sensations. Feather-like touches were enough to vibrate along his entire body and Noctis arched his back into the touch, pressed his head back into the pillow, the tendons in his neck stretching as he increased the pressure of his hand.

The air around him grew hot, or maybe his body did, maybe even both; he could not tell as his mind began to haze blissfully, his lids falling shut. _"Yes_ ," he murmured beneath his blazing breath as he formed a tight circle with his index finger and thumb and dragged it across his shaft, up and down and up and down, every stroke feeling like heaven, " _Yes_." His hips started to tremble, first only slightly, but then increasing with his handiwork they began to rock his cock into his slick hand.

Immediately, he eased his pressure until his fingers merely _danced_ across the seething flesh. Heat pooled into his stomach and tightened into a knot, _begged_ for him to speed up, but Noctis slowed even further. He peered past his nocturnal lashes to the sex in his head, proud and tall and red, and ghosted touches along it. A groan rumbled at the back of his throat and his eyelids fluttered while pants and whimpers rolled from his lips like prayers.

' _More. More.'_ Noctis twisted his head to one side, the other side, bit into the pillowcase and immediately soiled it with his saliva which kept drooling from his mouth. He bit into his free hand, the knuckles of his clenched fist, and formed a tight tube with his other hand, massaging his sensitive skin _everywhere_ , fingertips rolling over his glans and teasing the area just beneath. Noctis groaned, deeply, felt the sound vibrate through his entire body which twitched and jerked and needed _more_. Drops of pre-cum oozed from his tip and he smeared them across the shaft, his cerulean eyes glazing over as they rolled in their sockets at the sensation.

A sudden tremor rattled his body and Noctis' breath hitched in his throat, his eyes opened wide, lips parting for a shameless moan which turned into a whine while his hips trembled and his hand clenched helplessly right next to his throbbing dick, needy for another touch, another pump, and yet he waited, waited. His hair clung to his forehead, dampened by his sweat.

As the leading signs of an orgasm subsided, Noctis picked up the pace again, slowly, _slowly_ , almost leisurely massaging his cock. Another thick bead of pre-cum dripped from his slit and Noctis picked it up with the tip of his index finger. His mind slowed, fogged, and suddenly the finger was in his mouth. His own arousal tasted salty, bitter, but he liked it, and he swirled his tongue around the appendage, eliciting a sweet moan from his own mouth. His other hand slid downwards, took pity on his wanton cock by creating a fist. Noctis did not know whether he rocked his hips or moved his hand, for the pleasure melted his head, his limbs, and between his legs was nothing but immaculate pleasure.

Noctis bit his lip, but the moan tumbled out nonetheless. _"Nnngh… y-yes..."_ He threw his head to the left, to the right, the bliss becoming unbearable and his mind an outright mess, a thousand random images jumping across and never lasting enough to actually make sense.

" _Aaah..."_ A face. A beautiful, gorgeous, _handsome_ face, freckles decorating creamy skin like stars the night sky atop a pink flush of soft cheeks. _"Mmhm..."_ A gently curving nose leading to a set of most endearing eyebrows atop the bluest and brightest eyes he knew. _"A-ahngh!"_ Pink lips lifted into a dazzling smile. _"Haah… Aaah…"_ Laughter, as clear and innocent as bells. Gentle touches against his arms, his abdomen, his back, sending bolts of lightning across his entire nervous system. " _Oh!_ "

Noctis thrust his head back, a series of guttural groans falling from his lips, his fingers madly pumping his dick. His hips bucked erratically, defied his commands to calm down; a tingle coursed through his body, his feet numbing, his abdominals clenching rhythmically while everything between _throbbed_ and _burned_ and _felt too fucking good_. His cock pulsated in desperate need, his vocal cords strained from his groans and Noctis could barely breathe, could not even think anymore, just feel, his nerves raw and keen and screaming for more, more, _more_. He whimpered upon every stroke, his cock hard and throbbing, and amongst those whimpers he pleaded, not even realizing it, "Prompto _… Prompto!_ "

His body went up in flames, licking him dry to the bone, and his orgasm crashed down on him like a tidal wave, stronger than any ever before. His back arched impossibly high, his hips trembled, his limbs numbed, his cock sputtered his seed all over his hand while the other tore at his sheets, and he moaned, again and again and again, " _Prompto!_ "

It took minutes before he came down from his high, from the velvety bliss which weighed down on his eyelids and limbs, and even then his nerves still twitched from the overwhelming pleasure. His eyes refused to focus properly in the pitch black room, and his lips released but shallow, uneven breaths. His hand was almost _glued_ to his dick, whatnot with his thick cum splattered all over the skin, and he could _hear_ it squelch as he pulled his hand away. A pleasant shudder ran down his spine.

' _Clean,'_ he thought numbly, his brain cells still not operating the way they normally would, _'I gotta clean myself.'_ His feet thudded along first the carpet, then the flooring, and then the tiles once he reached the bathroom. He gasped upon the coldness of the faucet, and then once more when he wiped the wet washcloth over his private parts. A sense of vigil returned to him, cold now stinging his feet as he trudged back to his bed, his sex and hands clean – and a bolt of panic struck his head just when his ass plummeted onto the soft mattress.

His eyes stared into the darkness, the sounds of the storm drowned by his own heartbeat thundering in his ears. _'Did I just…?'_ Bile crept up his throat, ice spread in his guts and Noctis wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly shaking in violent shivers. His head felt strange, heavy, spinning without making a single move, and his hand rose to slap before his quavering mouth, but as the appendages neared his nose and he caught the whiff of his cum, Noctis froze.

' _I… masturbated. To Prompto.'_ His stomach turned and disgust engulfed him. The fingers curled around his waist suddenly dug deeply into his skin until it stung, but he did not stop, instead scratched his flesh in the hopes of getting out, getting out of this vile body which had decided to just _fuck himself_ while thinking about his best friend.

"How?!" Noctis' voice was but a whisper, echoing hoarsely from his abominable moans. He wished his throat bled. "How the _fuck_ did that happen?!" Did he not have himself under control in the beginning? He definitely had, trying to think about anything _but_ Prompto, so how come his brain suddenly took the turns it was not allowed to take – and worse, how come he had not _stopped_?

But his mind would not answer his questions. All it provided were those images of Prompto again, in high resolution this time; objectively prim and proper snapshots of their mundane activities, but Noctis' fantasy had twisted them, exposed skin and added highlights where they did not belong. He had never seen Prompto straddling his hips, and yet had imagined it so perfectly he would not be able to tell reality from fantasy. He had constructed touches, sounds, feelings which had never been there, only to fuel his sick needs.

' _No… Please, this is ridiculous.'_ Noctis shook his head and buried his guilty hand under his forearm, somehow trying to hold his shaking frame together. _'I know having a crush can be extreme, but like_ _this_ _? I don't want something like this.'_ He clenched his jaws until his teeth crunched, and then he shook his head again and again. His mind tormented him with the memory of his bliss, the sounds which had spilled from his lips, all pleas for Prompto's name, and his desire for the blond to not only be in his _head_ but in his _bed_. He was so plagued by his self-hatred, he did not even hear the sound of footsteps in the corridor, or how they halted before his ajar door for quite some time before they slowly drifted away again. All he heard were his moans, distantly echoing in his mind, and the shattering of his perfectly normal friendship with Prompto.

The sickness rose further in his throat and Noctis knew, if he did not calm himself, if he did not find _some fucking loophole_ in the atrocity he just committed, he would give his carpet and bed a permanent make-over. But he could not even _think_ , let alone argue. _'I fucked up. I fucked up. So bad. He can never know. Never. I have to- I have to bring distance between us. Until this_ _phase_ _is over. It will go over, right? Definitely. Certainly. It has to. It can't possibly stay like this. We have to remain friends, he's too important to me, I can't lose him, I don't want to lose him, not him, please not, astrals, please, I-'_

He heard the pillow a second before it hit his visage. His entire body was thrust backwards from the impact and he gurgled some garbage before he pulled the fluff from his face and blinked towards the door.

Prompto yawned at him. "Dude," he said, voice heavy from sleep, "your sofa is _so_ not comfy." He dragged his – formerly Noctis' – blanket after him into the bedroom, somehow fumbled the door shut without catching the fabric in between, and trudged over to the bed. _Thud_. Prompto dropped the blanket and now proceeded to crawl into Noctis' bed, the sheets wrinkling beneath his searching fingers, which, in the dark, accidentally brushed against Noctis' bare leg. "Whoops," the blond muttered and continued his quest, but his feet got entangled in the blanket and he twisted his body with a soft curse before he plonked down onto his ass. "There."

Noctis' hand flew to his leg and the madly burning spot there to scratch it as inconspicuously as he could while his eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. "D-dude, what the-?!"

"What the _what_?" Prompto asked and plucked his – _also_ formerly Noctis' - pillow from Noctis' lap, half-throwing it over his shoulder to the approximate position his head would take up were he to lay down. Which he did not. Instead he looked at Noctis, quite expectantly if a little groggy, if the stray moonlight was any help.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Noctis sputtered. His heart struggled against his ribcage, and his mind outright refused to understand what was going on. Prompto, in his bed? Was he asleep after all?

Prompto yawned again and lazily flicked his finger against Noctis' forehead. " _Duh_. I just told you, your sofa is the worst. So, I moved."

Noctis blinked. Within his mind, a sudden, rushed search began, for a _normal_ reaction, for _plausible_ words, for the behavior the _usual_ Noctis would present in such a situation. But the usual Noctis had apparently emigrated to _'You're-on-your-own-Island'_ and his flustered, panicky heart really did not help his erratic reasoning. He grabbed the first straw his frantic brain threw at him. "The sofa sucks? That's impossible. _Ignis_ chose that sofa after a month of research and testing, and my dad forked out a ridiculous sum. You're telling me that Insomnia's best sofa… sucks?"

"Yup," Prompto replied without missing a beat. "It's shocking news, but I'd say Iggy miscalculated. Wow," he interjected with a laugh, crystal clear wind chimes sweeping through the room, "I gotta admit, it sounds impossible."

The corners of Noctis' lips twitched, but the sweat trickling down his hands and his racing heart reminded him of the gravity of the _situation_ ; Prompto was in the process of sleeping in the very bed Noctis had just masturbated in. While imagining none other than Prompto himself. The thought alone brought a dangerous flush to Noctis' cheeks and he could only hope the moonlight would not give him away.

But Prompto seemed only mildly concerned about Noctis' expressions and much more preoccupied with pressing his slender figure into the mattress in such a way it felt like laying on a cloud. "Yush, much better. Ahhh," he outright _moaned_ and stretched his limbs, "this is heaven. What kind of host are you, sleeping in this comfort while letting your guest suffer on that abominable _thing_?"

A subconscious scoff broke from Noctis' lips and he almost casually retorted, "What kind of guest passes out on his host's sofa due to a _nugget_ overdose?"

"The best kind of guest, naturally." Prompto rolled onto his side, facing Noctis, his blue eyes glistening and his lips widened into a grin which sent a violent shudder down Noctis' spine.

The prince turned away. His heartbeat roared in his ears and he tried to calm it by gulping thrice, also somehow wetting his parched throat. _'Wh-what do I do? Let him stay? Won't that give the wrong signals? But isn't it rude if I just sent him back to the sofa, if it's really so uncomfortable?'_ He squinted his eyes at the darkness. _'Can't believe Specs was wrong about its quality. He'll get a minor heart-attack and spend two months doing nothing but sofa-research.'_ The tiniest smile appeared on his face, but it was washed away by his newly arising concern of _what to fucking do._ He cast a glance over at Prompto, who still looked at him with that same, smug grin, and his heart fluttered like a caged bird. _'At any rate, I have to put some distance between us.'_

And thus, he grabbed for his own pillow and blanket and gathered them in a bundle before his chest. "Alright. My bad. I'll leave this for you, then." But before he could even stand upright, lean fingers suddenly curled around his wrist and pulled him back down, and Noctis stuttered, "Hey, what the-?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Noct," was Prompto's rather lacking explanation. He tugged once more at Noctis' arm, until the prince fell down on his elbows, and even then the blond continued to pull. "That thing is a _crime_. Your royal back won't find a comfortable position on it, never." Prompto patted the pillow a few times, somewhat invitingly. "We can just share your bed."

" _Share_?!" Noctis gasped, forgetting the casual Noctis he pretended to be.

"Yeah, share. Come on, your bed is _huge_ , dude." Prompto motioned around with his other hand. "There's enough space for two _Gladios_ , so us twigs will be fine." He paused and studied Noctis' aghast face. "What?" he asked and cocked a suggestive eyebrow up, "afraid I'll do something _improper_ to you?" Another crystal clear laugh lighting a thousand lights in Noctis' heart.

How did one react to that, normally? How would he have reacted a day ago? Noctis forced out a dismissive snort, trying to ignore how _rough_ it sounded, and bumped Prompto's shoulder with a sweaty fist. "Yeah right." He contemplated for a second. Yet as soon as his eyes diverted towards the door or his blanket, Prompto tugged at him again and cleared his throat in an entirely intrusive manner. Noctis' lips quivered into a smile. "Alright. But don't you dare hog the blankets."

"I'm making no promises on that," Prompto replied graciously. He let go of Noctis' wrist, apparently pleased with the prince's cooperation, and draped his blanket loosely around his bare legs. Upon seeing that Noctis still sat upright like a frightened chicken, he pat the empty space next to him and urged, "Come on now. I won't bite."

Noctis gulped, hoping it would not be visible. He ignored the pull towards the door, the throbbing pain of his brain as he refused to do what was right and laid down, next to Prompto, subconsciously onto his left, preferred side, and therefore directly facing the blond dork who nodded his head at him like a mother who finally convinced her child to eat its vegetables.

Oh, Noctis would eat an entire _wagon_ of vegetables if it got him out of this mess.

"Took you long enough, slowpokes," Prompto judged with a voice already fading into sleep. He readjusted the sheets into a more comfortable position and scooted closer to Noctis. The scent of sunflowers and sunshine blew over, discreetly traveling up the prince's nose as warmth spread throughout his entire body.

How did one breathe? Noctis had forgotten, helpless stutters tumbling from his paling lips, his throat tightening painfully and then some more when Prompto's eyes fluttered open again to frown at him quizzically.

"You okay?" A rustling of sheets, Prompto's body and face suddenly closing in on him and then a touch against his forehead, cool and soft fingertips soothing his scorching skin. Prompto's breath fanned against his cheeks, another scent altogether different from sunshine and sunflowers and yet distinctly Prompto. Lively. Joyful. How could someone _smell_ joyful? Or maybe it was not the scent itself but rather the emotion said scent evoked in Noctis. "You don't seem to have a fever. Nuggets crawling up your throat? Wuss," Prompto chuckled and withdrew his hand but not his body.

Noctis knew he was blushing; by now, identifying said treacherous heat traveling up his cheeks was easy. He cleared his throat and tried to set his eyes anywhere but on Prompto. Easier said than done, even more so since said blond kept looking at him past half-hooded lids. "My throat's just a bit… itchy." Could Prompto hear his thundering heartbeat? "Don't worry about it."

"Is that so?" Prompto mumbled and wiggled a bit on his spot, finally pressing his head more firmly into the pillow and smiling upon the result. "Then goodnight, Noct."

He could barely talk. "Goodnight, Prompto."

' _Goodnight my ass,'_ he thought sarcastically. Every fold from the sheets beneath him poked his skin like needles. The blanket weighed heavy on his legs and hips, but when he removed it the air sliced his skin cruelly. He heard the cars driving down the nocturnal street and taking sharp turns at the corner half a mile away. Did the faucet in the bathroom drip? Was the refrigerator always buzzing that tremendously? And then there was this scent…

Even their proximity did not account for the intensity with which Prompto's fragrance clouded him. It filled the entire room, eradicated the scent of freshly washed sheets, of worn clothing piled up on the lone chair in the corner and of Noctis' nervous sweat. He had smelled Prompto before, naturally, but had never quite known of the _quality_ , of the associations. Suddenly, he remembered days at the public swimming pool, nights around an impromptu campfire, mornings in classrooms. The scent had always been there, surrounding him and accompanying his most precious memories.

' _Prompto.'_

Noctis sighed shakily. _'No good. I can't sleep like this. Not with him here.'_ He envied the blond and his apparent nonchalance; but then again, this was what perfectly fine buddies did, was it not? Well, maybe they did not always share a bed – but Noctis knew with a certainty he would not mind lying next to Ignis or Gladio. Maybe the latter would pose a problem, size-wise, but Noctis would most definitely not worry about scents unless either of them had not showered in a week.

His eyes darkened. _'But that's not the problem here.'_ The problem was how he could not tear his eyes off Prompto, the line of his jaw, the dip of his cupid's bow, the curve of his nose and the arch of his brows. The minimal stirring of eyes behind closed lids. The hint of saliva glistening on his lips. He stared, and stared, and stared some more, his guts tight and protesting and yet his curiosity and need overwhelming reason. He needed to burn this image into his memory.

It was not like he harmed Prompto by watching him. And if he could not sleep, what else was he supposed to do? Of course, he could try to leave, retreat to the living room and game some, but whenever he did so much as turn, Prompto gave the quietest of groans and furrowed his brows in such a disturbed manner that Noctis did not dare to proceed. He was a prisoner, in his bed and mind.

Noctis closed his eyes. _'Just what am I supposed to do?'_ He did not even know whether that question was directed at his immediate situation or the rest of his life. With his vision shut down, Prompto's scent hit him full force and despite his confusion and fear, a smile formed on Noctis' lips and filled him with guilt. _'I should not enjoy this. Lying next to him. Feeling the heat radiate off his body.'_

Yet as time passed, his heartbeat calmed gradually and his muscles relaxed. _'It's… nice. Would it be like this if we were a couple? No,'_ he judged with a quiet shake of the head, _'we'd be closer then. Should I just… roll over a bit and blame it on the sleep in case he wakes up? What am I thinking!'_ Noctis bit his lip. _'Am I some kind of pervert? Prompto trusts me as a friend. I will not betray that trust.'_

He opened one eye to peek at the other man. A strand of unruly blond hair kept tickling Prompto's face, causing him to scrunch his nose subconsciously, and Noctis swallowed a light chuckle. When the golden filament slid down the freckled cheeks once again, Noctis reached out and tucked it behind Prompto's ear, or at least the rough direction thereof, only realizing what he was doing when it was already too late, and even then he only found it within himself to blush but not to stop. His fingertips burned where they had touched Prompto's skin. _'I'm such an idiot. A lovestruck idiot.'_

How was this supposed to go on? It had barely been five hours since his realization, and he could already tell how his composure broke apart and left him wide open; he did not even dare think about the next meet up with Ignis. The bespectacled man would take _one_ look at him and his badly masked emotions and know him through and through. Noctis was not sure whether he could live with Ignis' pitiful, knowing eyes.

' _It's not like I chose this,'_ he thought helplessly and huffed beneath his breath. _'I don't want things to get complicated. I don't want to ruin this friendship because of some stupid feelings. I just want things to stay like this. A good, honest, fun friendship. Being with him just like this is enough.'_ He knew he was trying to convince himself, but what other choice did he have, aside from waiting until the feelings left?

A sudden thought crossed his mind and Noctis froze. _'And what if… they won't go away?'_ He had not considered that possibility thus far, and now it frightened him to the point where his muscles tensed and his heart jumped between dangerous stops and frantic beats. _'If those feelings stay, forever, then… can I even stay friends with Prompto? Don't I have to tell him the truth in that case? But what if… what if he hates me then?'_ His guts tightened, a sudden ball of heat traveled up his throat and Noctis gulped dryly. _'What if he wants to break all contact because I disgust him? What if he never wants to talk to me again?'_ He shook his head. _'No, anything but that! It wouldn't be fair just because of these stupid feelings. It's nothing, they're nothing, just a phase, I know it. Maybe I'm just misinterpreting things. I'm young. Young people are curious. It doesn't mean anything.'_ Even in his mind, his words were fake and weak.

"So, what's eating you?"

Noctis' eyes sprang open and met Prompto's alert ones, observing him in the sparse moonlight. _'What, I thought he was sleeping?!'_ Out loud, the prince stammered, "Uh, I, what? Nothing's eating me! What gives you that idea?"

The blond flicked a finger against Noctis' forehead, not possibly knowing how his entire body went up in flames at that simple contact. "You're an awful liar, Noct. We're best friends, of course I can tell." He smiled, but it was different from his usual smiles. Then again, it was probably just the moonlight playing tricks on Noctis' disorientated mind.

"I-" he began but halted. The longer he looked back into Prompto's blue eyes which compelled him to not evade him, the more the words got stuck in his throat. _'I can't possibly tell him this. Not when he lays next to me.'_ So he shrugged as carelessly as he could. "I'm fine."

Two fingers stabbed his ribs and Noctis gasped for air, barely hearing how Prompto chided, "Bad Highness."

"What the fuck- Listen, I said I'm fine."

"You're not." Prompto's tone dropped from the playful notes into something altogether concerned and serious. He sighed and shook his head. "I can tell, Noct. I know you so well, it's like… when you're down, I'm down." A quick chuckle. "That sounds weird."

Noctis knew he was not supposed to be overjoyed hearing this. His heart was not supposed to take a leap. His lips were not supposed to curl into an instant smile.

' _This… idiot.'_

"I'm sorry, Prompto," he finally said, ignoring how the look in Prompto's eyes send a hundred bolts of lightning through his body. "I don't want to worry you. It's just… not something I can talk about. At least for now," he added, if only to console his friend. Why was he consoling Prompto? _He_ was the one on the verge of a nervous breakdown, with his happy and carefree daily life turned upside down.

But when Prompto's features eased and the serious line between his eyebrows disappeared, Noctis felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. "Oh, I see. Don't force yourself, buddy. I'm always there." A pause, in which Noctis almost believed the conservation to be done with, before the blond suddenly piped up, "D'you want a hug?"

"A _what_?" Noctis squeaked two octaves too high, but Prompto just laughed.

"A hug, Noct. It works wonders, and needs no words. Come on, lemme squeeze you to my manly chest-"

"- wait, _no_ , Prompto, what are you-"

"- don't be so _shy_ , Noct, see-"

"- _h-hey!_ " His protests were fruitless; Noctis had to accept that when slender arms wrapped themselves around him. One of them wriggled past his neck while the other draped over his side and up his shoulder. Prompto's hands rested on his back. Skin pressed against skin.

He forgot how existing worked. Luckily enough, his body took over most of the functions by itself, but that did not ease the wild thoughts in his mind as his forehead rested against Prompto's.

He swore he melted when he _felt_ the vibrations of Prompto's lips as he triumphed, "See? Feels good, right?"

"Wh-wh-what the _hell_ ," Noctis replied, his limbs stiff as stone. "Don't just… do stuff on your own."

"But it feels good, right?" Prompto smiled at him, eyes almost squeezed shut, and rubbed his hands along Noctis' bare back a few times. "Nothing beats body contact between two best friends. How are you feeling?"

' _Like I'm dying.'_ He wanted to turn his head, but that would lead to even _more_ skin on skin contact, if only temporarily, so Noctis gulped down his nervousness – failed – and mumbled, "N-not particularly different."

Prompto pouted. "Seriously? Well, I got time. I'll hug the sadness out of you."

" _Haah_?!"

But Prompto just hummed and scooted even closer, and Noctis could do nothing but lay like a dead fish, trying to breathe without the appropriate organs. His body went up in flames, practically scorched where Prompto touched him – altering spots, for the blond had decided to reassuringly pat and rub his back, sometimes their knees bumped against one another, and even the untouched areas flushed with blood and nervousness. He was close, _so close_ , their heats mingling to one and Noctis had to will his eyes to _not_ stare at Prompto's lips.

' _I want to kiss him. So bad.'_ His treacherous thoughts did not care for etiquette nor situation, instead offered him memories of his deed from some odd forty minutes ago and all the things he had envisioned throughout his act, whispering to him how close he was to experience at least a part of them. His lips tingled, but he could not risk wetting them, and someone would find water more easily in the desert than in his throat. _'He's so close. He smells so nice. He feels so warm. I just want to kiss him, is that so bad?'_

Prompto stirred. "Noct, do you know how a hug works?"

"Huh?" He sounded only half as perplexed as he was, and Noctis felt like he should be applauded for that.

Prompto pulled Noctis closer and rolled his eyes. "A hug usually requires _two_ people. But right now, I am doing _at least_ sixty percent of the work here." He paused, searched for something other than utter shock in Noctis eyes before he elaborated, "Hug me back, dude. It's awkward otherwise."

' _This whole situation is awkward!'_ Noctis wanted to scream at Prompto, but with his throat not even a cough was possible without him sounding like a grandpa, so he gulped fruitlessly for a few times before he, rather unhelpfully, pressed forth, "Eh?"

"What's the matter with you, Noct, you're not usually that dense." Prompto sounded properly puzzled. "Come on, we hug all the time."

' _But not like_ _this_ _. Half naked. In bed.'_

"Ah, I got it," the blond exclaimed and nodded, effectively headbutting Noctis in the process. "Ouch! Geez, that's because you- whatever. You still owe me one from earlier, right? Well, that 'one' is a hug." He grinned widely across his entire face and nodded when Noctis just stared at him. "That's right. I demand a hug to acknowledge my glorious victory."

"Victory?" Noctis echoed, for a second forgetting that he could not breathe anymore. "You mean horrific shame?"

"Whatever." Prompto shrugged. "Hug me back. Come on, wrap those slender arms around my muscular torso and gimme a big hug." There it was again, his beautiful, wonderful smile which practically invited Noctis to love him that much more even though his heart already overflowed. "Do it like you mean it!"

Noctis' jaw dropped, his ears turned red, but astrals be good he was not a man to go back on his word. A bet was a bet, so he moved his numb limbs and somehow curled them around Prompto's torso, almost broke his fingers trying to wiggle under the blond's side before the man so helpfully lifted himself for a second. With his sweaty palms he was surely _fusing_ with Prompto's back despite the top, each line of definition clear against his nerves, but if the blond minded he did not show it.

No, Prompto just smiled, even deeper than before, and Noctis thought to spot a blush on his cheeks – but that was surely nothing but his imagination, a play of moonlight on freckles. "Finally! I was worried the royalty doesn't know how to hug – couldn't imagine a country without a hug-able leader."

"What kind of nonsense are you even spouting?" Noctis laughed despite himself, despite the fact that, after another readjustment of Prompto's body, their rib cages touched and he felt the other man's heartbeat thump against his own.

Prompto giggled, the tip of his nose bumping against Noctis'. "But you're feeling better, right?"

Noctis wondered about that. True, his mind was so preoccupied trying to keep him _alive_ that worrying was not so easy anymore, but his heart raced inhumanely, his body sweated like a damn waterfall and his throat was as parched as parched can be.

And yet, he felt good. Every fiber of his being buzzed lively, but pleasantly, his breaths came easily, and he could not wipe the smile off his face even if he wanted to. He felt _good_.

Noctis nodded. "Yeah. Idiot." He bumped his head forward and ignored the call from Prompto's lips.

The blond feigned hurt. "Oh, such a cruel prince! What doth become of the country, I wonder?" He broke into another giggle and strengthened his grip around Noctis, his fingertips tickling his skin, and the smile on his face softened. "I'm glad. That you're feeling better, I mean. After all, you are my…" He paused, his eyes momentarily wandering to the side before they refocused on Noctis in all their blue beauty. "My best friend."

Noctis opened his mouth. Closed it again. He subconsciously ran a finger down Prompto's spine and did not notice how the blond's hairs rose on his arms or how his eyes jumped to his mouth. A thousand words and more sat on the tip of his tongue, but they were all unspeakable, impossible, they did not belong in this moment which would never return. So all he said was, "Thanks, Prompto."

"You're welcome, Noct."

Noctis knew that, by logic, they ought to disentangle now, turn over and sleep. But apparently, neither he nor Prompto wanted to be the first to break this strange embrace – this precious, perfect embrace – and as the seconds stretched into minutes, his eyelids grew heavy and he melted into the hug just as much as Prompto did, their noses gliding past each other to rest at the other's cheek, fingers sliding down backs and sides to rest on hips, ankles suddenly twisted around one another.

He did not understand it, this moment, the meaning it would have for their friendship. All he knew was that all he ever wanted from Prompto, all he could ever hope for, was something just like this. It comforted him, in a sad way, that he could have it at least for a single night, in which he was not expected to explain, in which Prompto neither asked nor questioned him. It was a perfect moment, fragile and fleeting and he would never forget it.

Noctis was but a second away from sleep when Prompto's voice, tinted in teasing amusement, hit his ears. "Noct?"

"Mhm?"

"Whatever happened to my clothing?"

**Author's Note:**

> It was supposed to be a short solo-smut action thing, not this twenty-two page monster filled with fluff and angst and feels and whatnot. It killed me for near two months now if I'm not mistaking and I am still partly convinced I should rather hide than show this - but here it is, so I hope you enjoyed it, dear readers and especially Val! :3 It was your prompt and I hope I did it and your expectations justice! If nothing else, it motivated me to work even harder on my FFXV AU.
> 
> And as always a shout out to my lovely Nagareboshi Star, who proofreads and brainstorms and inspires, and last but not least kicks my butt so I actually upload what I bleed for.


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